But that’s not all! The zoo keepers wanted the three cubs to have a new and different friend to socialize with. They chose a junior Alabai or Central Asian shepherd dog, as these dogs have the best size and temperment to socialize with the cubs.

“We decided that she should be kind and sociable puppy friend. She should also have the appropriate size and proper psyche. Here the Alabai shepherds are suitable,” said Sergei Asnovin, director of the Vladivostok Zoo.

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The zoo-keepers predict that the friendship between the cubs and the puppy will last around 1.5 years, but if they really hit it off, they could be friends for even longer!

The tireless work of the staff at Vladivostok Zoo shows how cross-fostering can help save the lives of cubs of rejected by parents or orphan infants, especially for species who are threatened by extinction.

What a wonderful initiative! Watch it for yourself in the clip below:

Thank goodness for hard-working animal heroes like the staff at this zoo, who try to make sure we don’t lose these precious endangered animals.

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